Rocky LaPorte was a Chicago delivery driver back in 1988 when a tip from a customer changed his life.

"This lady I was delivering to said I should be a stand-up comedian," says the 55-year-old, who's turning heads as one of seven finalists on NBC's "Last Comic Standing." "I heard music, I saw angels. So that night I went home and started calling places that had open mics."

He performed that very night and killed it. "I went on stage -- it was like a drug. It was like doing heroin."

LaPorte -- who performs Friday at the Empress Theatre in Vallejo and does two shows Saturday at Pleasanton's Firehouse Arts Center -- came late to comedy. He grew up in Chicago as a self-described "screwball" who ran with a rough crowd. He dropped out of high school and joined the Army at 16. "That was an eye-opener," he says. "Vietnam was ending, and all my drill sergeants had been in Vietnam. It taught me respect."

In the military and during a number of blue collar jobs afterward, he was known as a clown. But, he says, "I never thought you could do that for a living."

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Now the even-spoken, low-key, divorced father of four is on the verge of stardom, after paying his comedic dues for 26 years. ("I slept in my car, and airports and crummy hotels"). Although he's been a regular on the comedy circuit and appeared on "Cheers" and "The Tonight Show," garnering name recognition has been slow. "It's the weirdest thing," he says."I had a standing O on 'The Tonight Show,' but it did nothing for me. I had loyal fans, but no national fans."

Rocky LaPorte is a Top 10 Finalist on 'Last Comic Standing.' (Chris Haston/NBC)

That might be due to his under-the-radar persona, which he describes as "one gear above Stephen Wright," referring to the famously droll comedian. LaPorte delivers observational, everyday clean comedy in a voice that sounds a bit like Sylvester Stallone. On "Last Comic Standing," comics Wanda Sykes, the producer, and Roseanne Barr advised him to come on a bit stronger. He's hilarious, but not in a Chris Rock, in-your-face way. This time around, he's trying to ramp it up.

"I'm not a stripper or a guy performing in a gorilla suit," LaPorte says. "But I don't want to lose to a guy eating a banana."

He's had the chance to go overseas and perform for American troops with Drew Carey. LaPorte -- whose son served in Iraq -- empathizes with what they're going through.

"Those guys over there are so grateful for you bringing a piece of home there," LaPorte says. "We're like, 'Are you kidding? We're grateful to you.' When you go to bed that night (after a show), you feel blessed."

One thing LaPorte isn't grateful for is hecklers; one night he decided to do so mething about it.

"This one guy wouldn't shut up," he recalls. "So I said 'You come up and do it.' So he went on stage and I went down and sat in his seat and heckled him. He was done in about two minutes. He had flop sweat coming off him. He looked like someone pushed him into a pool."

LaPorte acknowledges the boost "Last Comic Standing" has given him. It's "a great shot in the arm," he says. "You go from clubs, to selling out clubs, to playing theaters. Your life gets a little easier."

NBC gives winners a one-year deal for their own sitcom, which would be perfect. LaPorte says acting isn't difficult for him. "Pretty much, I'm an idiot in real life, so it's not much of a stretch. They pretty much let me be me, and I'm OK."